Dutch pension funds invest just 14% of their assets in the Netherlands, a figure which is ‘of importance given the ongoing discussion about the role of pension funds,’ the central bank said on Tuesday.

At the end of March, pension funds had almost €135bn invested in Dutch assets, out of a total volume of €960bn. Of this, €12.7bn is invested in Dutch mortgages and €1bn in small and medium-sized Dutch firms, the central bank figures show.

Pension funds have been in talks with the finance ministry for more than a year about investing more in the Netherlands, in an effort to get the economy moving.

In particular, the cabinet is planning to announce measures next month to encourage pension funds to boost the Dutch housing market.